The Navdy sits on a vehicle's dashboard and has a tiny screen that seemingly projects information about six feet in front of the car. It plugs into the model's OBDII port for data and syncs with Android 4.3+ or iOS 7+ smartphones. When you're driving normally, Navdy displays important info like speed and direction, but with hand gesture and voice recognition the user can also control apps, take calls and dictate text messages.

Navdy is pitched as much for its safety benefits than as a cool toy. According to the company, it keeps your focus on the road and eliminates the need to look down at a phone. The device already supports popular apps like Google Maps, Spotify and iTunes Music and can read text messages.

"Touchscreen-based apps force you to take your eyes off the road. So we started by completely rethinking what the experience of using apps behind the wheel should be like," said company co-founder and CEO Doug Simpson in the company's release.

Pre-orders for the Navdy are available now with shipments starting in early 2015, and for the first 30 days it's priced at $299 – $499 after that. The company is also borrowing from Kickstarter and allowing early-bird customers to vote on what apps and features the device should support later. The company's humorous video showing off the product (above) has some funny Easter eggs – check out the logo on the Ford Fusion.

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Navdy: World's First Head-Up Display (HUD) For Any Car

'Google Glass for your car' available for pre-order starting today

SAN FRANCISCO– (August 5, 2014)- Today Navdy announced the start of its pre-order campaign for a breakthrough Head-Up Display (HUD) that allows drivers to access their smartphone's apps while keeping their eyes on the road. Navdy combines a high quality projection display with voice and gesture controls to create a safer, highly intuitive driving experience.

Drivers are three times more likely to get into an accident when they take their eyes off the road to look down at a touchscreen. "Smartphones were never designed to be used while driving." said Navdy co-founder and CEO Doug Simpson. "Touchscreen-based apps force you to take your eyes off the road. So we started by completely rethinking what the experience of using apps behind the wheel should be like. Navdy is built from the ground up to be the safest and most intuitive way to make calls, use navigation, listen to music or access notifications without ever looking away from the road."

Navdy is running a 30 day pre-order campaign at http://navdy.com/preorder. Navdy is planning to raise $60,000 through its pre-sales campaign to get backers on board and support initial production efforts.

Navdy is the world's first in-car platform that offers:

■ Advanced display technology: Projects a transparent image directly within your field of view that appears to float six feet in front of your windshield so you can maintain your focus on the road while viewing navigation instructions, incoming calls, speed, etc. It's the same technology used by airline pilots to keep their eyes on the runway while landing an airplane.

■ Works in any car: The device can be mounted on any car dashboard, and is powered by plugging in to the onboard computer (OBD II port), available in all cars produced since 1996.

■ Intuitive touch-less gesture and voice controls: You never need to look away from the road while using Navdy. Glance-able apps are controlled with intuitive touch-less hand gestures, while voice recognition lets you ask for directions. Navdy's noise cancellation technology and wide angle gesture sensors are specifically designed to create an optimal driving experience.

■ All the apps you need: Navdy works with navigation apps such as Google Maps for turn by turn directions, and music apps such as Spotify, Pandora, iTunes Music and Google Play Music. Navdy can read aloud or display notifications from text messages or social media apps, subject to Parental Control settings. Navdy is compatible with iPhone (iOS 7+) and Android (4.3+) smartphones.

■ Integrated with your car: Navdy links to your car and is able to display information such as your speed, RPM, miles-to-empty, fuel economy stats, tire-pressure warning or battery-voltage warning from the car's computer, all presented on your windshield within your field of view.

■ Tuned for the driver: Critical information like turn by turn directions and your speed do not disappear when a phone call comes in the way your navigation app disappears to the background on a smartphone when a call comes in. The information you need, when you need it is always present and clearly within your field of view.

Pricing & Availability

Backers will be able to pre-order Navdy at the introductory price of $299, a 40% discount from its projected retail price of $499. Backers will also be rewarded for spreading the word to their friends and family; every time someone buys Navdy from your referral you'll earn a $30 discount, which means after 10 referrals your Navdy is free! Backers will also vote on which smartphone apps and features they'd like Navdy to support when it ships in early 2015.

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I love the idea, but how about a cheaper, simpler model without hand gestures and call integration? How about a basic navigation function? I'd consider it for $150, but not $300. The voice-commands in my car work perfectly well as it is. Plus, with my Motorola X, all I have to do is talk to it anyways. The phone only cost a penny with contract, and it's built like a tank (I accidentally crushed it with a 1,200lb garden tractor this weekend and it was none-the-wiser; not even a scuff). That probably came off as a sales-pitch... Either way, I'm glad to see a little innovation. I've loved HUD ever since I first experienced it (2001 Pontiac Bonneville SSEI or 1999 Corvette), and I can't believe it hasn't spread like wildfire--even if only amongst GM's vehicles. Since this product is coming out, perhaps others in the market will produce competitors to drive the ridiculous price down.

I kind of think that things like this are either good enough to get integrated into cars as standard equipment, or they aren't really good. I want to see HUDs make their way into motorcycle helmets more than my dash.

I have yet to see a single car manufacturer make a half decent infotainment system, and most of their GPS's outright suck. And whats the last car you bought that had a wireless charging magnetic dock for a tablet instead? I have one in my car, and its so much better than my headunit, using a car dock automotive interface that quickly lets me pull up Waze or google maps or my media player that is internet connected to either stream or even just playing local content allows for far more control such as the equalizer. And yup, everything is voice command (android, google now) and/or gesture controlled thanks to the front facing camera. Is it because its too expensive? Well, they charge $1200 for a navi with a horrible quality touchscreen and no internet updates, and a Nexus 7 2013 model 4G LTE with free 200mb a month tmobile sim costs $220. Sooooo...... So why don't car companies have this? Because they lag behind in electronics and they always have. They aren't electronics companies.

i d love to have this for my car in japan. japanese sat navs are overly sophisticated with millions of gadgets that you ll never use, whereas this navdy seems to have everythng you need and nothing you don t need. now only if it works with japanese language...

1. SF again comes to the rescue. Hate it all you want. 2. I refuse to buy a built-in nav because my phone is always up to date and works flawlessly (iPhone). 3. With a built-in HUD, you are stuck in time. With something like this, you can keep up. In 10 years you can have the same car but your add-on can project what the lines should be on the road in front of you, right? Or sense that pedestrian up ahead in the dark. Or whatever!

This HUD type display to us is redundant bubble gummish eye candy anyhow. Why do we need multiple speedometers, tachometers, fuel gauges, radio station displays. Sure the extreme GPS could be useful if you're a delivery type and going to the moon. As far as safety is concerned any and all types of these networking efforts undertaken behind the wheel of a vehicle should only be done when jammed up in traffic stationary or stuck in stop and stop traffic. We spend 15-30 minutes per day jammed up in traffic during our daily commutes. Why not do something while just sitting there frustwaiting for the traffic to clear. There are other way more productive options available for the HEADS UP type products out there. We say GO LARGE! And Put the phones down while driving. Notext. Drive Responsibly. D2D.

Cool. But is reading a text "hovering" in front of your car "safe"? It's like putting a filter on a cigarette. Also, I know they are just starting up and focussing on content, but that thing looks nasty. It looks like one of these 2000s electronic doo dads you got from Brookstone currently resiging in your junk drawer. I'm not putting that on my dash. Also, most new cars have some kind of infotainment/nav display in the gauge cluster, so you would be paying to have that information hover in front of you. Rarely, if ever, have I been so overloaded with data from the display that I wish it were straight ahead. I'm not trying shoot down MiGs while fiddling with various weapons systems. If I'm lost, I'm listening to the voice guidance. And if I need to answer or make a call in my car I push a button on the wheel. Why is making a thumbs-up sign better than that---I have to take my hands off the wheel? HUDs have been around for a generation now for cars, and they have not caught on, even when well integrated in the car physically and funcationally. Further integrating phone and text(!) is not likely to change this picture. Maybe Im just not in the generation that needs to able to send and receive calls and texts at absolutely any moment, and thus for whom any efficiency in this area is welcome.